Life on Latoshk
by The Daleks' Advocate
Summary: Short snippets on the life in the Dalek-human alliance on Latoshk. This is a collection of light-hearted and mostly unrelated scenes taking place after the events of "Crossroads". If you haven't read it yet, they'll probably seem very random.
1. Lillian: Kinship

**Lillian: Kinship**

Lillian nodded appreciatively to the lead Dalek as they stood on the outskirts of his community's newly-built metal city.

"It is truly impressive, and honestly magnificent," she commented. "It's a shame you probably can't even appreciate the beauty of your own city."

"WE DO NOT EMPLOY THIS CONCEPT," he admitted. "WE PERCEIVE IT AS APPROPRIATELY FUNCTIONAL AND IN GOOD WORKING ORDER."

"Unlike ours?" she asked with half-smile.

"YOUR CITY IS WELL-SUITED TO _YOUR_ NEEDS. ALTHOUGH THE REQUIREMENTS ARE DIFFERENT, IT FULFILS THEM AS EFFICIENTLY. IF THESE QUALITIES MAKE OUR CITY BEAUTIFUL, SO IS YOURS."

The remark brought her a laugh. "Has Stephen been pestering you about courtesy again? While he's right it helps build smoother relationships with humans, I'm used to your ways and I prefer straightforwardness, even when it's not what I'd like to hear."

"I WAS NOT LYING. I DO NOT THINK NECESSARY TO PLACATE YOU; I KNOW YOU ARE CLOSE TO DALEKS."

She grinned. "I remember the first time you told me something to that effect, how offended I felt. Now, coming from you, it does feel like a compliment."

His mechanical gaze oscillated slightly over her face. "I AM GLAD WE NOW TRUST EACH OTHER AND CAN FINALLY BOTH ACKNOWLEDGE OUR SIMILARITIES. WE _ARE_ ALIKE, LILLIAN ROBERTSON. YOU ARE MUCH EASIER TO INTERACT WITH THAN OTHER LATOSHKIANS."

She raised a suspicious eyebrow: "Are you chatting me up?"

"NO, I AM SIMPLY STATING THE TRUTH. WE HAVE MUCH IN COMMON AND OUR ASSOCIATION IS HIGHLY BENEFICIAL."

"You _so_ are."


	2. Nancy: The Dalek way

**Nancy: The Dalek way**

Fascinated, Nancy watched the young Daleks emerge from the breeding plant on the conveyor belt, be picked by automated robotic arms and be plucked into brand new casings. The Dalek who'd trained in medical activities had volunteered to show her the reproduction factory and stood at her side.

She shook her head in amazement. "Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that. Growing embryos from single cells to full adults in minutes… We still have much to learn from your technology."

"OUR ALLIANCE INCLUDES PROVIDING YOU WITH SCIENTIFIC ASSISTANCE," he generously offered.

"I know, thank you. For the time being, I'd just like to study some intermediate states of their development."

"I WILL EXTRACT EMBRYOS AT KEY STAGES FOR YOU TO ANALYSE. ABRUPTLY INTERRUPTING THE GROWTH PROCESS WILL ALLOW YOU TO ACQUIRE REPRESENTATIVE DATA."

"No, wait! Don't kill them!" she exclaimed in alarm. "I didn't mean I wanted to _dissect_ them! I just want to examine them, _alive!_ Please, please, as a rule of thumb, _always_ assume I mean to preserve or heal or save, unless I very explicitly state otherwise."

The Dalek stopped and stared at her in confusion. "YES. I ALREADY KNOW YOUR PURPOSE IS TO PROTECT HUMAN AND DALEK LIFE. I HAD NO INTENTION OF KILLING THEM. IT WOULD BE UNNECESSARY AND WASTEFUL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE NOT ACQUIRED INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE YET. INTERRUPTING THEIR GROWTH ONLY MEANS IT WILL RETURN TO A BIOLOGICALLY NATURAL SPEED, IMPERCEPTIBLE IN THE CONSIDERED TIME FRAME."

"Oh," was all Nancy was able to say, cheeks burning in shame.


	3. Stephen: A dangerous world

**Stephen: A dangerous world**

"I was wondering," Stephen mused to the head Dalek, "do you ever leave your casings willingly? Latoshk is safe now; you don't need to constantly isolate yourselves from the outside world within a battle tank."

"WHAT PURPOSE WOULD THAT SERVE?" the alien enquired.

"To start seeing yourselves as an integral part of the greater universe, for one. Also if you want to understand humans better, we certainly don't seclude ourselves in cramped cabins our entire lives." He looked up at the slightly hazy sun and decided the weather was perfect for a first go. "There, try sunlight. It feels good to us, and who knows, you may even find out you enjoy it too."

Convinced it would at least expand his knowledge, the Dalek opened his casing and bathed in the soft sunlight.

* * *

"Now we're all friends and everything, I thought it would be a good idea for them to loosen up a little. So, I suggested he opened his casing to start experiencing the world directly," Stephen related.

"And?" Lillian asked.

"Well, I thought sunlight would make for a nice first experience. The weather was ideal, not too hot, just pleasantly warm with a lovely breeze. I just hadn't thought his skin hadn't seen the sun before, _ever_."

She chuckled. "I see where this is going."

"Daleks are _such_ crybabies. I had to ask Nancy to bring us a soothing cream immediately, even though his life support would have healed him within the hour."

 **[Next chapter will be about Nancy and the Dalek embryos: Can you guess why her cloning attempts failed?]**


	4. Nancy: The human way

**Nancy: The human way**

How could Nancy have then understood what was killing her little Dalek clones? But then again, how could she not? The clones had likely died from sensory deprivation, just like human infants would. As it turned out, Dalek children, when unplugged from the machine filling their minds and growing their bodies by the second, craved touch.

Under the gaze of her attentive, if rather baffled, Dalek colleague, Nancy stroked the juvenile they'd plucked from the breeding line to coax him into leaving his comfortable nest of a towel. She estimated he was at the human equivalent of two or three years old.

"You know what we should try?" she suggested, taking her eyes off the young Dalek to look at the adult one next to her. "Toys." As he gave her a blank look, she explained: "They're devices designed for children. To stimulate curiosity, train motor control, teach action and reaction… They cover a wide range of activities."

"IT IS INADVISABLE. THE FIRST BATCH DID NOT REACT WELL TO YOUR HUMAN CHILDREN ENTERTAINMENT MATERIAL," he pointed out.

She nodded sadly. "I know. At least you didn't persist in this experiment. But there's a whole world between force-feeding cartoons straight into a forming Dalek brain and letting them play and learn on their own. Huh, wha–"

Something was tugging at her hand; looking down, she realised the baby Dalek had indeed got out of the towel and was playing with her fingers; before she could react, he leaped onto her wrist and climbed with surprising dexterity. Nancy giggled uncontrollably as the small creature went up her arm.

"WHY ARE YOU MAKING THIS NOISE?" the Dalek doctor screeched, agitated in confusion.

"It tickles!"

Having finally reached the top of her head, the toddler squeaked in victory.


	5. Lillian: Anniversary

**Lillian: Anniversary**

Lillian's gaze was lost in the distance when the Dalek leader found her.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?" he asked. "YOUR BEHAVIOUR IS DIFFERENT FROM USUAL. IS THERE CAUSE FOR CONCERN?"

She gave him a melancholy smile. "Not really. But it's been a year since we defeated the empire and I can't help but wonder, among all those Daleks we killed, how many might have been like you."

"IT IS UNLIKELY ANY ACTIVELY QUESTIONED THEIR ORDERS. THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED FOR DISOBEDIENCE. EVEN IF SOME DOUBTED, THEY WOULD HAVE EXTERMINATED YOU WITHOUT HESITATION REGARDLESS."

"I know. And if I had to do it again, I would. Still," she sighed, "I can't help but wish there had been another way."

"BUT THERE WAS NOT." He stayed silent for a second before adding: "ALTHOUGH DALEKS BUILD FROM THE PAST AND PLAN FOR THE FUTURE, WE DO NOT CONSTANTLY THINK OVER EITHER. WE HAVE LEARNT MUCH FROM YOU, BUT PERHAPS YOU CAN LEARN FROM US TOO."

As clumsy as it was, his attempt at comforting her warmed her heart. "I wish it were that easy, but I promise I'll do my best."

"REMEMBER _WE_ ARE STILL ALIVE, AND MORE SECURE THAN THE MAIN EMPIRE HAS EVER BEEN. _YOU_ MADE THIS ALLIANCE POSSIBLE. ALTHOUGH IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO OPPOSE THE SUPREME DALEK, I WAS RIGHT TO TRUST YOU WITH THE FUTURE OF MY RACE."

She smiled with emotion. "I'm honoured. I'm touched, really. I know how much that means to you. Still not ready for a hug?"

"I ACCEPT YOUR HUG, BUT NOT IN THIS SETTING. ULTRAVIOLET SUNLIGHT CAUSES PAIN."

"You delicate thing, you," she laughed.


	6. Jen: No problem without a solution

**Jen: No problem without a solution**

Jen greeted the Dalek as she entered the laboratory: "Hello there! You haven't been working all night, have you? You know you _are_ allowed to relax. If we can't make it work, it's disappointing but not the end of the world. You won't be punished for it." She paused before frowning, perplexed. "Wait, why does it smell like strawberry?"

The Dalek physicist turned his eye-stalk to her before approaching in an unusual mark of attention. "I KNOW YOU TOLD US TO TOLERATE FAILURE BUT IT WILL NOT BE NECESSARY IN THIS CASE!" he announced excitedly. "I DISCOVERED A SAMPLE OF A SUBSTANCE THAT HAS THE PERFECT PHYSICAL PROPERTIES FOR OUR NEEDS. ELASTICITY AND STICKINESS IN PRESENCE OF WATER ARE IDEAL AND IT BECOMES SOLID WHEN DRYING OUT. AFTER ANALYSIS OF THE SAMPLE, I HAVE SYNTHESISED ENOUGH TO REPAIR AND RESTART THE DEVICE. THE EXPERIMENT IS NOW FULLY OPERATIONAL!"

"That's awesome news," she beamed. "But… strawberry?…"

"I WAS UNSURE WHETHER THE VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE SUBSTANCE'S CONSISTENCY SO IN DOUBT, I ADDED THEM."

Realisation dawned on Jen. "Chewing gum. You patched up the experiment with chewing gum."

 **[And that's all folks. :-) I may continue to add new chapters in the future if other ideas pop into my mind, but for now it can be considered completed.]**


End file.
